Welcome to my blog---an eyes-open, no-holds-barred exploration of Western and Eastern spirituality, mindfulness, philosophy and literature. A member of the Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association, I lectured at the NSW Institute of Psychiatry to mental health workers for 14 years and at the University of Technology, Sydney to law students for 16 years. My interests include metaphysics, the psychology of religion, transformative ritual, mythology and addiction recovery.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

HOW TO DEAL WITH UNINVITED THOUGHTS

There is something ‘wrong’ with the title of this post. You see, I have used the ‘how’ word, and the use of that word implies that there is some ‘method’ or ‘technique’ involved here. Krishnamurti (pictured above), that great spiritual philosopher, was right to point out the folly of seeking methods and techniques, especially as respects matters such as meditation, contemplation and relaxation. There’s an Eastern story of a master and a pupil. The latter says to the master, ‘Master, I have been here for three months now, and you still haven’t given me a method by which to meditate.’ The master replied, ‘Well, what would you do with a method?’ Good question.

True meditation has no ‘method’ or ‘technique’---it simply happens all by itself or not at all. It ‘happens’ when you simply---observe! There is no ‘path’ to meditation, and there is no ‘technique’ or ‘method’ that can be employed, so don't bother trying to find one---and reject all those so-called 'gurus' and 'teachers' who would try to teach (or sell) you one.

Now, having said all that, there are some things which happen all by themselves when you let them happen. The word ‘let’---as in ‘letting go’ and ‘letting be’---is of fundamental importance when it comes to matters spiritual and psychological. Of that there is no doubt. When, in the course of one’s practice of meditation, an uninvited thought manifests in one’s consciousness, the experience of ‘letting be,’ that is, simply being choicelessly aware of the thought without dwelling upon it, judging, analyzing or defending it, allows the thought to pass through the mind uninterrupted in 'soft focus.'

The ‘secret’ is not to try to force any such thought from the mind or circumvent or deny the thought. Just accept them in a choiceless fashion. You don’t have to approve of them. Don’t even go there. Don’t even start to judge the thought in any way. And if the thought be a 'negative' one, there is no need to override it with a 'positive' one. Just let them alone.

Sometimes, especially with beginners, thoughts may come almost as a continuous movement in the form of an internal mental dialogue (or ‘chatter’). Some people feel almost overwhelmed by all this, but they need not. It is possible to desensitize yourself against uninvited thoughts. Now, we all use words and what is known as subvocalisation to make sense of our moment-to-moment experience of both external and internal reality. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. Indeed, it is a necessary thing. Otherwise, we would not know our ‘bearings’ at all. However, when engaged in one’s practice of meditation, an ongoing mental dialogue is definitely not the way to go. Once again, the ‘secret’ is not to try to force these ongoing thoughts and subvocalisation from the mind or circumvent them in any way, but to focus more on one’s out-breath.

Why focus more deeply on one’s out-breath? Well, it's really quite simple. When we engage in normal conversation we tend to speak on the outflow of our breath. Surprise, surprise, it is likewise with our inner dialogue---that is, we tend to engage in inner chatter when we are in the process of breathing out. So, you will find that if you focus more deeply on the outflow of your breath, your inner chatter will tend to dissipate. Indeed, your whole mind will quiet down---and that is a very good thing! No effort is required, other than the 'effortless effort' of paying more attention to your outbreath. The more you do that, the quieter your thoughts become---and the more peaceful and contented you will be.

Thoughts are only thoughts. They are a function of consciousness. In and of themselves they have no substantive 'reality'---and no power to hurt you---unless you chose to identify with them and thus give them a significance that they don't otherwise deserve. So, choose to be choicelessly aware at all times. As you do that, from one moment to the next, you may well find that when you are aware---choicelessly so---of the fact that you are thinking, all thinking tends to stop. Amazing!

COPYRIGHT---TERMS OF USE---DISCLAIMER

COPYRIGHT: There is no intention to infringe copyright in respect of any copyrighted material; if any person believes there is or may be an infringement of their copyrighted material on any page of this website please advise me by email and any offending material will be removed immediately.

TERMS OF USE AND DISCLAIMER: By and in using this blog, which includes but is not limited to all posts as well as all material linked to those posts as well as to any other parts of the blog ("this Site"), the user agrees to the following Terms of Use and Disclaimer:

The purpose of this Site is to give information by way of general comment only, which is not designed to be comprehensive, but which may be of interest to some or all of the public ("the Information"). Ian Ellis-Jones ("IEJ") may amend and also update the material on this Site from time to time but does not guarantee that any of the material is current. The Information does not constitute, and is not intended to be, professional advice, whether of a healthcare kind or otherwise, nor is it intended to be relied upon as a basis for action on the part of any individual in respect of any matter in relation to which there could be loss or damage. Any professional advice of whatever kind sought must be tailored to the user’s specific circumstances. There has been no consideration given as to whether any or all of the Information is appropriate for you. You should not act upon any of the Information without first taking specific advice on your own particular circumstances. IEJ is not, and does not hold himself out as, a medical practitioner. Neither IEJ nor any person or company with whom or with which he is associated makes or gives any representation or warranty of any kind regarding the Information, which is not intended to be a replacement or substitute for professional healthcare or advice of a doctor of medicine or other health care professional. If needed, such advice should be obtained through the services of a competent healthcare or other professional. IEJ as well as all persons and companies with whom and with which he is associated disclaim and do not accept any liability for the decisions you make based on any Information contained on or or linked to this Site or for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from action taken, or not taken, in reliance of or upon any or all of the Information but expressly exclude completely and unequivocally any and all such liability. No guarantee is made or given that the material on this Site is free from computer viruses or other defects. No responsibility is accepted for any viruses that may infect the user's computer or any damages to the user's property on account of the user's use of this Site. Certain links in this Site may connect to other websites maintained by third parties over whom IEJ or any other person or company with whom or with which he is associated has no control. Accordingly, no representations or warranties are made or given as to the accuracy or any other aspect of information contained in other websites. Finally, this blog is the personal work of IEJ and has no affiliation with his law firm, his company Ellis-Jones Enterprises Pty Limited, his colleagues or any other person, company or body with whom or with which he is associated including but not limited to the New South Wales Institute of Psychiatry and any and all clients.

European Union (EU) laws require that EU visitors to this site be given information about cookies used on the blog. For more information on Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies on the blog, including Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, please read Google’s privacy practices and how Google uses data on partner sites.

CREATIVE COMMONS

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License. Click on CC logo for details.